A team from HSBC in Douglas recently spent a day volunteering to repair fences and clear debris at the Manx Wildlife Trust’s Ballachrink nature reserve.

Extending over 25 acres of land in the West Baldwin valley, Ballachrink was gifted to the Trust in 2011 by Mrs Norris, wife of the late Mr Norris, who lived for many years at Ballachrink House.

The site comprises a series of small meadows, currently let to a tenant for grazing purposes, with small blocks and lines of conifer plantation in between.

Below the meadows are the steep, river-eroded banks of the valley floor, where several ponds and lakes have been created for wildfowl.

With its diverse habitat, open water and the inclusion of a stretch of the Baldwin river, the site is a hidden gem but requires considerable work to clear and re-establish access paths and tracks.

Falling trees have also done considerable damage to the fencing around the meadows, and so replacing the fences to ensure the meadows are stock-proof is an important priority

The Trust’s reserves officer, Tricia Sayle, was delighted to take up HSBC’s offer of help to clear tree debris and replace a section of fencing in the largest meadow, with all materials funded by the bank.

Kevin Cartledge, senior manager at HSBC Isle of Man, said: ‘This is the fourth year that we have helped the Trust with tasks on their nature reserves and funded the necessary materials and once again our staff thoroughly enjoyed getting hands-on experience of the charity’s invaluable nature conservation work.’

The public consultation on the Equality Bill will be extended for a further two weeks.

Originally scheduled to conclude on November 14, the consultation will now close on Friday November 28, following a request by the unions for more time to consider the legislation.

Chief Minister Allan Bell described it as the ‘most important Bill to be brought in during this administration’. ‘It makes a powerful statement on the Isle of Man’s commitment to equality and inclusivity.’

During a visit to London last week to learn more about the UK’s experience at introducing its Equality Act, Mr Bell met Lord Collins, former assistant general secretary of the TGWU union who organised the boycott of the Isle of Man in the 1970s by union conferences over the island’s lack of social legislation and in particular its stance on gay issues.

Mr Bell said Lord Collins, together with Baroness Thornton and Lord Cashman, were ‘fulsome in their praise’ for the steps the island was taking to eradicate that stain of our history’.

The Equality Bill prohibits discrimination, in the provision of goods and services as well as in employment, on the grounds of specified characteristics including age, disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation. There are a range of exceptions, however.

Replacing the Disability Discrimination Act 2006 amongst other legislation, it will also require organisations to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the needs of disabled people.

The Equality Bill builds upon and supersedes existing legislation which offers some protection against discrimination, mainly in the field of employment. It is largely based on the UK’s Equality Act 2010 but with some Isle of Man adaptations, principally in relation to the enforcement structure.

The consultation began on August 11 and the consultation document can be found on the consultation section of the government website {http://www.gov.im/about-the-government/government/government-consultations/|Click here}

Public urged to report poachers to protect fish populations

With river fisheries closed from November 1 to March 31, and adult fish heading upstream to spawn, the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture wants to clamp down on illegal activity.

Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘At this time of year, my department receives information about alleged illegal fishing on rivers and coasts but many of these reports don’t reach fisheries officers until hours or days after the event.

‘While the information is still useful, reporting suspicions immediately greatly increases the chances of poachers being apprehended. People who hunt salmon and sea trout illegally care little about the devastating impact their behaviour has on fish populations and I am determined that anyone engaged in poaching activity or in handling, buying or selling illegally caught salmon or trout will face prosecution.’

Fisheries officers, aided by volunteer fishery watchers, conduct frequent anti-poaching patrols at this time of year and liaise closely with the police.

Anyone wishing to report suspicious behaviour should contact the Fisheries Division of DEFA on 685857 or, if that is not possible, their local police station immediately.

The public should not approach someone they suspect of fishing illegally.

Hoteliers, restaurateurs and publicans can assist by not accepting fish offered to them for sale via ‘the back door’ and reporting any such incidents to DEFA.

Mr Ronan added: ‘It is illegal to fish for salmon or sea trout at sea in Manx waters and even licensed freshwater anglers are not allowed to sell legally caught fish. Therefore, anyone buying or selling Manx salmon or sea trout is committing an offence and could face a fine of up to £5,000 and/or a custodial sentence of up to six months.’

Information on freshwater fishing, including the Isle of Man Angling Guide and Anglers’ Code of Conduct, can be found {www.gov.im/categories/leisure-and-entertainment/recreational-fishing/freshwater-fishing/|here.}

Cabbies say they have not been consulted over planned new arrangements for taxis waiting to pick up passengers from the airport.

New taxi rank arrangements, to be discussed with operators, were announced as part of a raft of new charges unveiled by the cash-strapped Department of Infrastructure last week aimed at raising £500,000.

Taxis currently charge a £1 per trip airport levy, but the department says for many years this has not been passed on to the government.

It is proposed that the ply-for-hire taxis licensed to pick up at the airport will in future operate on a pre-paid permit system. There are about 45 carrying Malew plates under the regional licensing system.

Ply-for-hire taxis will continue to wait in front of the terminal building for their next fare.

But private hire, pre-booked taxis will in future have to wait in the former disc zone area of the short-stay car park to collect their passengers and so will pay the £1 charge for the first hour of parking.

The free first half hour of parking at the airport is also being abolished.

But Ray Teare, chairman of the Manx Taxi Federation, said there had been no prior consultation with the taxi trade.

And he described the claim that cabbies should have been passing on the £1 charge to government as ‘complete nonsense’.

He said the 2001 Transport Act abolished the old permit system and introduced the £1 levy.

But he insisted: ‘The £1 was an incentive to be at the airport to serve the public. The drivers were allowed to charge an extra £1 on their fare.

‘If we picked up from Douglas and took a passenger to the airport we could not charge the £1. It was an incentive to provide the service at the airport because sometimes taxis weren’t there.’

He challenged the Infrastructure Minister to show him the provisions in the legislation proving the levy was to be paid to the government.

Mr Teare said it was wrong to charge cabbies more at a time when the economy was not as strong as it had been and passenger numbers using the airport were falling.

And he said the drivers would have no choice but to pass the charges onto their customers.

Mr Teare said: ‘We would certainly be against any charges for ply for hire taxis. The drivers do long hours for little reward.

‘We all know the state of the airport and the number of flights coming in. We are concerned there has been no prior consultation on these charges. I’m not sure how this will operate and what charges there will be.’

And he added: ‘What impression does this give to the travelling public arriving in the island and having to put up with this? It doesn’t give a good impression about the state of the island and its finances, does it?

‘Taxpayers’ money has gone into the airport and now they are asking us to pay twice.’

A course entitled Live Well – Stay Well will start at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital tomorrow (Wednesday).

The programme aims to help and support people to manage their long term health conditions and improve their wellbeing.

Anyone over the age of 18 who is living with a long term health condition is invited to join the free course.

The course consists of a two and a half hour session every week for six weeks. To reserve a place on the next Live Well – Stay Well course email livewell-staywell@gov.im or telephone 486641.

The Live Well – Stay Well programme is provided by volunteers who have a long term health condition.

A public meeting will hear the latest from the island’s public transport boss on Saturday.

Ian Longworth, the island’s director of public transport, will address TravelWatch’s autumn meeting about buses and the railways.

TravelWatch is expecting some questions on concessionary fare changes and school buses.

In addition, Mike Bathgate will review the air services scene in the light of the major changes introduced last April and the recent loss of Blackpool services.

The meeting will also address airport parking changes and operational changes on the Birmingham and Liverpool routes which are causing problems for parents sending their offspring as unaccompanied minors.

John Pennington will bring the meeting up to date on the apparently declining threat to our transport routes posed by wind farms and will identify some of the lessons learned, and how they can be applied.

The meeting will also look at progress on User Agreement talks for ferry services, which has been slower than expected but further issues like the type of fleet best able to meet the island’s needs and the provision of facilities at Liverpool need public discussion.

Anyone wishing to present a topic should should contact Chairman Brendan O’Friel brendan@ofriel.fsnet.co.uk (or 833636) with details of the topic they wish to raise.

The meeting will be held on Saturday in the Promenade Suite at the Villa Marina in Douglas. Doors open at 9.30am.

How much extra income tax would have been raised if the £120,000 cap for the wealthy had not been in place?

Backbencher Chris Thomas (Douglas West) will put the controversial tax cap under the spotlight in the House of Keys today (Tuesday) in questions tabled for written reply to Treasury Minister Eddie Teare.

Mr Thomas will ask how many made a 2014/15 tax cap election before June 30 this year, in total what wealth and income these individuals declared; and how many had not previously been resident in the Isle of Man for income tax purposes in 2013/14 or in a previous year.

And in a second question to Mr Teare, he will ask: ‘What additional income tax would have been payable in 2013/14 if the Tax Cap regime had not been in place?’

The issue of fairness in relation to tax policy has been brought more sharply into focus with the introduction of new and increase charges to rebalance the public finances.

There are 17 questions for oral answer and nine for written reply in today’s Keys sitting.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne will be grilled by Brenda Cannell (Douglas East) over his plans to charge £25 for residential parking permits.

She will ask what impact assessment has been carried out and how many permits are currently issued. And she will urge the Minister to publish the results of the public consultation into increases and new charges for car parking in Douglas.

Mr Gawne also faces questions of his plans to relocate the Douglas horse tramway. The promenade regeneration work has been put on hold while a new proposal to re-site the tram tracks on the promenade walkway is being considered.

In other matters, John Houghton (Douglas North) will ask the Treasury Minister whether the island will follow the UK in adopting a new basic state pension of no less than £148.40 a week.

Mrs Cannell will ask Mr Teare whether Dependability, appointed to carry out fitness for work assessments of long-term incapacity benefit claimants, will do checks on those on disability benefits. Liberal Vannin leader Kate Beecroft (Douglas South) will query why GPs assessments aren’t sufficient.

Fellow Lib Van, Peter Karran, will ask Mr Teare what recent action the Treasury has taken over the Louis Group affair.

The Island’s National Insurance Fund has recorded a £10.4m shortfall.

It’s the second year in a row that spending from the Fund on state pensions and other benefits has exceeded NI contributions paid into it.

The shortfall, which has had to be covered by a transfer from the Fund’s investment income, is revealed in the latest Manx National Insurance Fund accounts to be laid before the November sitting of Tynwald.

The Fund’s operating account went into deficit for the first time in the 2012/13 financial year, with a shortfall of £14m.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK said: ‘The information in these accounts is further confirmation that the island has reached a turning point in its welfare system.

‘Following the detailed review of the system by the consultants Ci65, we must now start to make changes to ensure that our social security system is sustainable, fair and that it does not put an undue burden on future generations.”

The Ci65 report is due to be made public in the near future.

In the current financial year, Treasury will spend £190.2m on NI funded benefits, mainly on the state retirement pension, and £78.2m on general revenue funded benefits such as income support and child benefit.

In the same period it is estimated that £170m will be raised from NI contributions.

In May this year a report by the UK government actuary’s department estimated that unless changes were made, the Manx NI Fund would be exhausted by 2054, with spending on the state pension projected to rise by more than 500 per cent in real terms over the next four decades.

This week’s Isle of Man Examiner talks to Stephen Bradley, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce’s retail committee, in the wake of the news of higher parking charges in Douglas.

Mr Bradley, who has business interests in the capital and St John’s, has written a powerful letter to Phil Gawne MHK, the Infrastructure Minister, urging him to think again.

As the charges being brought in by the Department of Infrastructure continue to dominate the news, we report on one man who was surprised to find that one change has already come in.

Meanwhile, a restaurant talks to us about a clever marketing idea it’s had to try to diminish the effects on it.

Inside the paper, we reveal the fate of the latest Callow’s Yard planning application.

There’s also a preview this week’s Keys sitting, reports from the courts, and some worrying news from Sellafield.

In our business pages, there’s an opinion piece from an e-gaming expert. If he’s correct, this could be bad news for the island, where the industry now makes up more than 10 per cent of our economy.

Meanwhile, our Final Whistle sports supplement includes all the action from the weekend’s sport.

The Examiner is in the shops now.

This month’s Talking Point article by Angelena Boden.

Marketing isn’t really my forte.

I know the principles of course and am constantly being emailed by digital marketing companies implying our website is ‘pants’ and we need better SEO. (search engine optimisation)

Their digital marketing engineer will be in touch blah blah.

I find this intrusive, disruptive and downright cheeky!

Maybe I am a bit old fashioned but I believe that personal contact with potential new clients - ‘face to face in the same space’ is the best way to forge new business relationships.

Events not only generate new sales leads but also help raise your brand. You have an opportunity to stand out from a crowded marketplace and find out what your competitors are doing at the same time.

cost effective

For me, exhibiting at the NEC’s World of Learning on September 29/October 1st this year has already proved to be more cost effective than spending on a mixed marketing campaign that is difficult to measure.

We reached more people in two days than we could have done in six months.

Top drawer clients came specifically to our stand as they had already done their homework and wanted to find something new and different.

It was a big investment but if we convert one enquiry into a sale it will be worth it… and we had great fun!

If you are considering exhibiting in 2015 here are my ten top tips to make sure you have a successful show.

1.Choose the right event. There were a few people at the NEC who didn’t really fit in and as a result didn’t attract the L&D buyers. Research the event from previous years – numbers, quality of visitors, marketing of event, pre and post show support.

2.Choose your stand carefully – we chose a corner stand by a seminar area which wasn’t the best as it got noisy. Don’t cut costs on this. Ask the event organizer about the layout of the space and where footfall is likely to be its highest. Get a professional stand designer. They are really worth the money and save you the hassle.

3.Be clear about your SMART goals and communicate them to you team. It’s important to be realistic. The tighter the goals the better your chances of achieving them.

4.Make the most of pre-show advertising. Stress the benefits of visiting your stand. Be clear and concise in your writing and make sure it’s accurate and easy to read.

5.The people on your stand make the difference between an ok event and a great event. Smart presentation, happy, smiling faces. They need to look as if they are enjoying it! Exhibitions are hard work so have enough staff to allow breaks and opportunities for checking on the competition!

6.Spend as much time with visitors to your stand as possible. We spent at least half an hour with our visitors who had sought us out specially. When you have the HR manager of TATA in your midst you don’t choose that moment for a comfort break.

7.Be honest – overselling your product or service will ruin your reputation. We saw visitors tweeting on the move. You don’t know what they are saying about you. Listen. Ask the customer what they are looking for. Avoid launching into a sales pitch.

8.Offer incentives – we gave a free video and podcast out on a branded memory stick and of course chocolate!

9.Network with other exhibitors. There maybe partnership possibilities. We found a new film maker and possible new ways of working.

10.Keep notes of conversations with interested visitors. When you follow up leads, personalize your emails and phone calls. Decide who should receive a courtesy email… thank you for visiting us … and those hot leads that could keep your business going for years.

So, the show is over. Legs are aching. Faces are tired from all the smiling and you’ve got no voice left. All you want is a glass of something and a sit down.

The real work however begins when the visitors have gone home. It’s time for debriefings and to develop a plan to follow up the contacts you made.

Get back in touch with your press contacts. Update your social media. Keep evaluating the results of the event for several months afterwards. You made the contact now nurture them without being a nuisance.

Finally, reserve your place for next year!

angelena@thefifteenminutetrainer.com

l Fifteen Minute Trainer exhibited at the World of Learning, NEC, Birmingham October 2014. They used Quadrant2Design for their stand.

Firefighters rescued a disabled woman from her flat yesterday.

They were called out at about 5.50pm to deal with a kitchen fire in a flat on Mooragh Promenade, Ramsey.

Three enginess from Ramsey and Laxey, along with the aerial ladder platform from Douglas, were called.

While these appliances were on the way, the control room was told that the occupant of the flat was disabled and could not make her own way out of the flat.

A fourth pumping appliance from Kirk Michael and an ambulance were then sent as well.

The fire was on the first floor. The occupant of the flat was found on the landing outside her flat and was removed to safety on the ground floor.

Two firefighters put out the blaze in the kitchen using a hose reel. The fire was confined to the microwave and the surrounding kitchen surfaces.

The kitchen and lounge area both suffered smoke and heat damage.

Crews stayed there for another hour to ventilate the flat using a positive pressure fan.

The occupant of the flat was given a precautionary checkup at the scene by the ambulance service.

An appeal against refusal of the latest plan for Callow’s Yard in Castletown has been turned down by planners.

The plan (14/00338/B) is for alterations to convert from retail to residential use properties on Arbory Street and Fusion Bar, retaining retail on the ground floor in all bar one property in the town centre development.

Planners turned it down because more residential units would increase the need for parking and have an ‘adverse impact’ on the town centre; the number of single bed units would be ‘over intensive’ and ‘alter adversely the sense of community’; also changing 8 Arbory Street from retail to residential use would ‘dilute the commercial appearance of the street’ and ‘establish an unfortunate precedent for further shop fronts to be replaced with domestic frontages to the detriment of the streetscape’.

Cornerstone Architects, which submitted the application, appealed against the reasons for refusing the plan.

However at an appeal into the decision, the plan was again turned down because the increase in the number of residential units would lead to more parking requirements which could not be met and lead to on street parking.

The Isle of Man government has no plans in the pipeline to allow for new drugs to be tested on terminally ill patients.

A statement from the island’s Department of Health said in addition to considerable investigation a change in the law would be required to implement any such change so the consent of Tynwald would be needed.

The statement comes in the light of a government backed bill in the UK parliament, proposed by Lord Saatchi.

The Medical Innovation Bill,if passed into law, would allow some terminally ill cancer patients to undergo treatment with drugs which have not yet been licensed for use on the public.

The UK bill requires doctors to have agreement from another specialist when prescribing unlicensed treatment but it would then give legal protection to doctors who want to try different teatments once conventional ones have failed.

The Isle of Man Department of Health spokesman said: ‘Professional and regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association have significant reservations and do not currently support the approach proposed in the UK.

‘In the first instance a professional recommendation would be sought from the department’s clinical recommendations committee. In addition it is likely a view would also be sought from the island’s Local Research Ethics Committee.’

The Clinical Recommendations Committee is chaired by the government member for health along with doctors and Department of Health and Social Care staff, as well as lay people. Its function is to recommend appropriate treatments to the Minister for Health and Social Care and prioritise them based on need, effectiveness and value for money.

Lord Saatchi, a Conservative peer who has campaigned for such a change in the law since his wife died from cancer, said the same approach was currently being employed by doctors treating ebola patients in Africa.

The Isle of Man Health Department’s statement concluded: ‘The use of untested drugs in terminally ill patients is a highly emotive topic and the department is mindful of the vital global importance of promoting continued innovation to develop new treatments that are both safe and effective. The department is equally mindful of the need to ensure a safe and equitable health service for all.’

Marketing column by Terry van Rhyn

One of my favourite topics to write about is the British national press, and the reason for that is I get to make observations like the following.

On September 11 this year, writing on the stance of SNP leader Alex Salmond in the Scottish independence referendum, The Telegraph compared him to Robert Mugabe. Yes, that’s Robert Mugabe.

Here’s a little more – on September 9, The Times’ Melanie Reid wrote on the same subject: ‘What spoilt, selfish, childlike fools those Scots are ... They simply don’t have a clue how lucky they are’.

On September 7, Dominic Lawson for The Daily Mail, obviously, compared the Scottish Independence’s threat to the existence of the United Kingdom to the marches of Hitler and Napoleon, helpfully accompanied by pictures of the two.

It gets better. On June 7 2014, The Spectator’s Simon Heffer helpfully generalised a generation of Scots as being ‘addicted to welfare’, people who ‘embraced the something for nothing society’. And finally, contributing to what eventually became significant demonstrations outside the corporation’s offices; the BBC’s Nick Robinson subjected Alex Salmond to a barrage of accusations, including one which completely misunderstood the basics of corporation tax, and another which unwittingly prompted Mr Salmond to press for an official enquiry in to the provision of insider information.

I’ll leave those to provide a little context for what I intend to discuss; accusations of media bias on the part of British institutions in their coverage of the Scottish independence vote.

Not, of course, to demonstrate actual bias, but to demonstrate the absurdity and slipperiness of what it is we’re tackling here.

Could it really be that the national media is at the beck and call of London’s financial elite?

Could they be rallying behind the bankers?

Perhaps they’re doing it for Queen, country and empire, engaging in an unprecedented programme of censorship and skewerage for the protection of the realm.

Or, more realistically, perhaps they’re trying to remain profitable by creating the most convoluted and inflammatory narratives possible in a bid to confound and thus retain readers.

We should not forget that ‘our’ media, the BBC included, is a business, and in this society that means free reign to generate profits by any means. It’s the same as a toothpaste company inventing halitosis, or Guy Beringer inventing brunch – create the problem, then sell the solution.

If I was to write the advert it would read something like: ‘Are you bewildered yet? Buy our newspaper to find out even more.’

danger

What it all comes down to is the actual danger of engaging with the media on any front, and that is the temptation to underestimate. We should not, for a second, presume in all seriousness that a writer capable of working for one of the country’s oldest and most established newspapers won’t have anticipated the backlash of calling Scottish people ‘spoilt, selfish and childlike’.

Nor should we expect that The Daily Mail’s editor Paul Dacre would be blind to the potential ramifications of printing photos of Hitler in an article about Alex Salmond. For all its subtleties and raised palms, I also think it would be decidedly unwise to think that the BBC might not have noticed a certain imbalance in its referendum coverage.

Don’t misunderstand me, at its best the British media is one of the great bastions of anything resembling institutionalised free speech and objective, investigatory journalism and is the envy of many countries worldwide.

But for the most part, it’s also populated by the offline equivalent of click-bait and forms part of an enormous enterprise run not by benevolent guardians of free speech and impartiality, but by big business that wants to stay big.

As such, ultimately, any outrage at the possibility that the national media did provide blinkered coverage of the independence movement speaks of a degree of willful naivety on the part of the indignants.

Granted, the BBC could be accused of media bias and as a quasi-public institution there is an argument to be had surrounding the BBC’s journalistic impartiality as defined in the terms of its licensing agreement, as always.

But at the crux of the argument lies the following: of all the media institutions, English and Scottish, regional and national – perhaps just a handful provided what could be described as balanced coverage of the independence movement.

Most picked a side and stuck to it without reservation.

But we all knew they would do that. They’ve been doing it for decades.

And yet, without representation, and against the tide of the national press, the independence campaign cannot be considered anything other than a success.

In its first iteration, a 45 per cent minority is not to be sniffed at.

Its campaigners manufactured one of the most exciting periods in recent Scottish history and did so by taking an approach to the media defined by pragmatism, understanding and realistic expectations.

They balanced the institutional with the independent, and the rarified with the social. There’s a David and Goliath metaphor in here that’s perhaps a little more apt and a lot less patronising, but which escapes me now.

Either way, it’s a cause for celebration and a lesson to be learned.

Terry Van Rhyn is managing director, Ashgrove Marketing

Bonfire Night will be celebrated with displays around the island.

Peel fireworks will be set off from the breakwater tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7pm, after commissioners chairman Ray Harmer has lit the bonfire.

Half an hour later, Port Erin and Ramsey’s fireworks displays both take place at 7.30pm.

Port Erin’s display will be over the bay while Ramsey’s will be from the Mooragh lake’s island.

Celebrations in Douglas take place on Friday.

The event starts at 7pm with a Best Guy contest. Take entries to the staged area at the War Memorial between 6.30pm and 7pm.

The bonfire will be lit at 7.15pm followed by a fireworks display at 7.30pm.

Anyone lighting a bonfire is urged by Dolittles to watch out for hedgehogs.

Sandy Huyton said: ‘Earlier warmer autumn temperatures could have resulted in second litter hoglets being born and with the colder weather now approaching hedgehogs will be searching for the perfect nesting areas for hibernation and hedgehogs will find bonfires very inviting.

‘We would advise you use a long pole and check to the centre from all sides before lighting and preferably on the night. Hedgehogs are in decline and ecologists say in the UK they could be extinct by 2025.’

Hamish Thornton won the annual Dave Karran Memorial Trophy, which was held recently at the National Sports Centre.

The matches were played according to ranking and were the best out of five. During round one, Derek Tootill played the oldest player in the competition, 68-year-old John Smith.

Although Tootill won the first two games, Smith won the match after taking next three 11/3, 11/4 and 11/8.

In round two, up-and-coming junior Scott Jones played Chris Cave. Jones won the first game 11/9, but Chris won overall.

Also in the second round, Lyndon Cheetham played Merseyside over-60s player Peter Sharples.

The latter won the first game, with Cheetham winning the next two games.

Sharples then won the fourth, leaving it down to the final game to decide the winner which Cheetham won 11/8.

Also in the second round Courtney Gilardoni played Brian Gowland.

The latter won the first game 11/9 and although Gilardoni fought back and won the second game 11/7, Gowland won the match overall.

During the third round, Jones played Richard Webster. Jones stormed ahead winning the first two games 11/7 and 11/5, but Webster bounced back winning the next two games 11/6 and 11/7.

The winner was decided by the final game which Jones won 11/8, the closest of all their games. Also in the third round, Mark Harrop played Peter Baker.

Harrop won the first two games 11/7 and 11/3 and although Baker won the third game 11/8, the Racketeer won the final game 11/6.

Next in the third round Les Callow, who also plays for the Merseyside over-60s team, came up against Phil Shaw.

The game was close with Callow winning the first game 11/10 and Phil the second game 11/9.

Callow then bounced back winning the third game 11/9, but Shawl won the fourth 11/6. Callow won the decider 11/5.

Juniors Gilardoni and Harry Douthwaite met in the third round.

The match was very close with the winner decided in the fifth.

Courtney won the first game 11/4 with Harry winning the second game 11/4.

Courtney then won the third game 11/7 before the game see-sawed again as Harry triumphed in the fourth 11/4. Ha rry went on to win the match after winning the fifth game 11/9.

In the fourth round, Gowland played Ben Peach. Ben won the first game 11/9 before Gowland won the second game 11/8.

Gowland also won the third game 11/7, however, Peach won the match after winning the fourth game 11/1 and then the final game 11/7.

Merseyside team-mates Callow then faced Sharples.

Callow took the first game 11/7, but it was Sharples who won the match overall after winning the remaining games 11/5, 11/3 and 11/7.

Also in the fourth round, the youngest player in the competition Rhys Keown played Derek Tootill.

The latter won the first two games 11/7 and 11/8 and although Keown fought back, winning the third game 11/7, Tootill won the final game 11/7 and the match.

The final was between Mike Hayler and Hamish Thornton. The latter won the first game 11/6 and also the second game 11/8 before clinching the trophy 11/7 in the third.

Dave Karran’s brothers Billy (back row, second from left) and Brian (far right) with Memorial Trophy winner Hamish Thornton (centre). Also pictured (l-r) are Brian Cowley, Jas Singh, Mike Hayler and Lyndon Cheetham

A Minister went bonkers over a cabinet colleague’s scheme to charge £25 for residential parking permits.

But Chief Minister Allan Bell has dismissed the idea of a bust-up between Ministers and insisted it was all a ‘storm in a teacup’.

Minister for Policy and Reform Chris Robertshaw didn’t pull his punches when he criticised as ‘bonkers’ the announcement by Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne that his department was bringing in a £25 charge for residents’ parking permits.

In an interview on Manx Radio, Mr Robertshaw said: ‘My understanding was and is that Phil’s taking this matter through a review. It was extremely unfortunate therefore, and something must have gone wrong somewhere, that the department suddenly announced it was going to raise a £25 fee and then conduct a review which frankly is a bonkers way of doing things.

‘You don’t announce a figure you are going to charge and then rush around trying to justify it.’

Interviewed by the Examiner, the Douglas East MHK said: ‘I’m in a very difficult position because Council policy conflicts with what is fair and reasonable for the constituents of East Douglas.

‘I made it plain in my manifesto that the issue of street parking was a matter of real concern in the constituency. It’s effectively an extended car park of Douglas.

It was inevitable, given that pre-declared position, that when it came to an attribution of a charging regime for residential permits, I took a position different from that of CoMin.’

He insisted the department had ‘not gone about it the right way’. ‘I repeat you don’t decide what you are going to do and then go about trying to get people to agree it’s a fair and reasonable proposal.’

Mr Bell said he had spoken to both Ministers and the issue was now closed.

He said: ‘There was no breach of collective responsibility. Chris Robertshaw had a pre-declared position. The language could have been couched in different terms but Mr Robertshaw is a passionate individual and wears his heart on his sleeve.

‘Mr Gawne has an extremely difficult job to do, having been charged by Treasury to find £5m of savings in his already stretched department. All the charges have gone through a consultation process. There is nothing untoward about the way they’ve done it.

‘There will be disagreements from time to time between Ministers - it’s a healthy sign of democracy to have robust debate in CoMin.

‘This is a storm in a teacup. It’s only £25 we are talking about - it’s the smallest of the charges we are bringing in.’

Mr Bell said that while the £25 charge would come in from next March, a review would be done in the meantime to see how the effects could be mitigated by other measures such as improved road marking and signage to make it clear where parking can take place and where it is prohibited. Member for the Department of Infrastructure Chris Thomas MHK (Douglas West) has been charged with carrying out that review. He admitted that a carrying out a review after a policy decision had been announced ‘is not ideal’ but circumstances were driven by the department’s need to save £5m. He said the idea of charging £25 for a residential parking permit ‘might make sense’ if it benefits those using the parking zones by ensuring they could park outside their house.

But in a message to the Chief Minister posted on his Facebook page Mr Thomas said that the cost of painting lines and new signs will be substantial, increasing the current administration annual costs of £42,000.

Retired American astronaut Col. Ron Garan will be in the island next week for an event.

Col Garan is a highly decorated fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut, spacewalker and aquanaut.

He will be the special guest speaker at the inaugural annual fundraising dinnner for the island based International Institute of Space Commerce.

Since leaving NASA, Ron has become a leading social entrepreneur and science advisor to Nobel Laureate Mohamed Yunis.

His speech is likely to be fascinating and will appeal to all those with an interest in space, aviation, science and engineering, e-business and entrepreneurship. The dinner is being held in the Sanderson Suite at the Claremont Hotel Douglas on the evning of Tuesday, November 11.

Tickets are priced at £50 a head or £500 a table

For more information on the event and for tickets and tables contact John Sheath, secretary of the institute via john@cornerstone.im

More information about the IISC can be found at www.iisc.im

Four men accused of kidnapping have been remanded in custody by magistrates in Douglas.

The men, Abdul Ahad aged 19, of Kent Street, Burnley, Muhammed Hammad Khan, aged 24, of Jasmin Terrace in Bradford, Amman Sohail, 22, of Roydscliffe Road, Bradford and Zishaan Amar Sharif. 21. of St Michael’s Road, Bradford, were all remanded in custody and will reappear on December 2.

The four men are charged in relation to an incident alleged to have happened on October 31.

Advocate Peter Taylor acting for Mr Khan and James Robinson acting for Mr Sharif both made unsuccessful bail applications on behalf of their clients.

No bail applications were made by Peter Russell, representing Mr Sohail or by Roger Kane, representing Mr Ahad. No pleas were taken. The men will reappear on December 23 for committal.

Manx and West taekwondo clubs returned from the British National Championships in Manchester with an impressive three medals including one gold.

Youngster Nino Ontoy stole the show with his gold medal win in the children’s under-23kg division.

There were also medals for Samuel Lloyd and Alex Faragher.

Nino. aged eight, beat Max Whiteman of WTA All Stars Taekwondo and then Owen Blunt of Ultimate Taekwondo in the final, 26-5 on points.

There was a silver medal for Lloyd and bronze for Faragher .

Five competitors from Manx Taekwondo took part in the championships which lasted two days and ran from 9am to 9pm each day.

Other fighters who competed well and will benefit from the invaluable experience were Patrick James and Alec Ecolango.

The club would like to say a huge thanks to the Isle of Man Children’s Centre for all its assistance, all the parents who travelled, especially Carl, all the sponsors, and to assistant instructors Dom Ontoy, Neil Ecolango and Jacqueline Lloyd.

The Manx and West clubs will host a sparring seminar over the weekend of December 5 which will see other clubs visiting the island from around the UK.

Anyone interested in joining the club, or further information about the tournament can visit the club’s Facebook page Manx Taekwondo or contact Rod Nielsen on 07624 436181.